And believe me, people tried to tell me I shouldn’t run. Friends told me not to run. Allies told me not to run. “USA Today” mentioned maybe I shouldn’t run. But no matter who it was, I understood that finances are often a reason we don’t let ourselves dream.

I can’t say that you will always overcome those obstacles, but I will tell you, you will be damned if you do not try.

The second is fear. And fear is real. It is paralyzing. It is terrifying.

But it can also be energizing, because once you know what you’re afraid of, you can figure out how to get around it.

And the third is fatigue. Sometimes you just get tired of trying. You get tired of reading about processes and politics and the things that stop you from getting where you want to be. Sometimes, fatigue means that we accept position instead of power.

We let someone give us a title as a consolation prize, rather than realizing we know what we want and we’re going to get it, even if we’re tired. That’s why God created naps. But we also learn in those moments that fatigue is an opportunity to evaluate how much we want it.

Because if you are beaten down, if you have worked as hard as you can, if you have done everything you said you should, and it still doesn’t work out, fatigue can sap you of your energy. But that’s why you go back to the “why” of it.

Because I know we have to have women who speak for the voiceless. I know we have to have people of good conscience who stand up against oppression. I know we have to have people who understand that social justice belongs to us all. And that wakes me up every morning, and that makes me fight even harder. Because I am moving forward, knowing what is in my past.

I know the obstacles they have for me. I know what they’re going to do, and I’m fairly certain they’re energizing and creating new obstacles now. But they’ve got four years to figure it out. Maybe two.

But here’s my point: I know what I want, and that is justice. I know why I want it, because poverty is immoral, and it is a stain on our nation. And I know how I’m going to get it: by moving forward every single day.